Dragonforce & Neonfly, Thekla, Bristol
Once again into Bristol and onto the boat for a night of British power metal with multinational membership. Immediately the heat of the venue was as palpable as it had been for Anathema last weekend. So as we sweated thankfully Neonfly were on stage shortly after doors opening meaning we had music from the off.
Neonfly
I have only ever caught the end of Neonfly's sets at festivals but I enjoyed their debut album Outshine The Sun and this was a good chance to see the band in small setting, things started brilliantly with the progressive, 80's rock sounding Ship With No Sails which got the crowd going with it's bouncy but technical riffage, the band sound like a mix between Queensryche and Helloween and much of this is due to the vocals of Willy Norton who has a great voice that goes from a powerful mid into a sky scraping highs, (he also looks a lot like Mr Tate). The band moved straight into the Helloween style The Enemy which had Fredrick Thunder and Patrick Harrington shredding like Weikath and Hansen, with the rhythm section of dread-locked Paul Miller's bass and Jerry Sadowski on drums, Sadowski was particularly good behind the kit as he is not Neonfly's drummer and had to learn the set in two days! He showed his mettle on the 'Ryche-like A Gift To Remember. The band are very boisterous and exciting to watch and Norton is very funny with his self-deprecating style that was part Shakepeare, part stand up. The band rammped up the metal with a medley of tracks from Outshine The Sun before playing a new song in the shape of Heart Of The Sun before things ended with the awesome Morning Star. A great band that played a solid set of melodic metal, however the sound issues couldn't be ignored as everything seemed a little bassy meaning that the guitars were barely audible in places. I hoped the sound would improve for the headliners but still Neonfly put on a great show. 7/10
Dragonforce
I think I've seen these power metal mentalists now around 6 times, but this was my first show since Brit Marc Hudson took up the mic. Like a freight train the band bounced onto the stage and went straight into Defenders from their quite excellent new album Maximum Overdrive. However the bugs had not been sorted and all that was audible were new boy Gee Anzalone drums, Vadim Pruzhanov's keys and Frédéric Leclercq's bass, neither Sam Totman or Herman Li's guitars could be heard and Marc too was quiet in the mix. Second song in and still nothing, unfortunately this was Fury Of The Storm which is one of my favoutire tracks, the sound was simply dire and I walked up the stairs to leave the sound got better so I ventured onto the venues balcony and the sound quality was immeasurable the guitars were pristine and clear as the frenetic solos and squeals rang out during the middle section of the song. This was better, the Dragonforce I knew but I was a bit pissed off that the only good sound came with an obscured view and a sweltering temperature. As Fury Of The Storm closed next came Three Hammers from Maximum Overload which along with main set closer Cry Thunder harked back to the loin cloth madness of Manowar, from up here I could hear Marc's vocals loud and clear and they were immense, his voice is strong and powerful and can hit huge highs that his predecessor often failed to hit. Back to the classics with Black Winter Night from their debut album which got the older fans like myself excited. The majority of the set was taken from the last two albums though as Marc (and possibly the rest of the band) expressed a genuine need to play all of the last album but we got Symphony Of the Night, The Sun Is Dead and the schizoid The Game which is faster than any thrash song I can tell you and shows you what an amazing drummer Anzalone is. This gig was a 14 plus gig meaning that many of the audience were kids, now I have no beef with kids at gigs but many along with a lot of adults did seem to be there purely because Dragonforce appeared on Guitar Hero, this has been both a blessing and a curse for the band as now their crowds are full of people that only recognise final song Through The Fire And The Flames (although it does mean there are more women at their gigs, which is great for the band I guess) this association means that there are a lot of blank looks when the older stuff is played. Heroes Of Our Time again got the crowd going and their cover of Ring Of Fire was just silly but exciting none the less and then it was time for 'that song' which is where this writer left. The thing is I can see why Dragonforce focused on their latest album as this tour was to promote it but when a lot of the crowd weren't even paying much attention to the new songs you know that the wrong crowd is there, this gig was was sold out but when the majority of the crowd are just waiting for one song, it means that there are a lot of people who couldn't go that would have loved to have seen the whole show. Still Dragonforce did their best to entertain the crowd and played a good set, a shame Through The Fire... was last though, play it first get the twits out of the way and let others enjoy the whole show in comfort. 7/10
Sunday, 5 October 2014
Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Reviews: Joe Bonamassa, Threshold, Order Of Israfel
Joe Bonamassa: Different Shades Of Blue (Provogue/J&R Adventures)
It has been 14 years and 10 studio albums (not including collaborations and bands) since Joe Bonamassa first arrived on to the scene, having been a young blues hopeful for years it was his trifecta of albums; You & Me, Sloe Gin and The Ballad Of John Henry that cemented him as one of the new millenniums rock powerhouses. A man that is truly D.I.Y he has shunned major labels to self release, self promote and ultimately owes all of his success to his immense talent and hard work. Bonamassa's albums have always been a mix of his own material and covers of his favourite artists, from Rory Gallagher to Bad Company, Leonard Cohen to Yes. His 11th album Different Shades Of Blue is his firts to feature all original songs and one instrumental intro originally by Hendrix which hardly qualifies. As the dust of this atonal guitar passages settles we get into the first track proper the blues drenched Oh Beautiful! which features lashings of organ, a dark delivery and Joe's trademark guitar prowess during the middle eight. This first song is a testament to Joe's thoughts about this album, he is back in the blues that he came from all those years ago. Apparently he felt he owed his hardcore a strictly blues album due to his straddling of the Rock God borders. Well he has definitely reconnected with the bluesman inside as Oh Beautiful! is a throwback to Clapton, Baker and Bruce, it moves straight into Love Ain't A Love Song which is funky, hip shaking tale of loss driven by Carmine Rojas' bass, Lee Thornburg's horns and Ron Dizubla's sax, a theme which continues on the shuffle of Living On The Moon and the 12 bar walking riff of Heartache Follows Me Wherever I Go. Never Give All Your Heart comes next and has real heartbreak to it and is one of the songs that breaks the blues mold a little as it sounds a bit rockier than the rest of album, the song was co-written with Jonathan Cain of Journey and is a ballad of his bands lofty proportions which is immediately offset by the tongue-in-cheek I Gave Up Everything For You, 'Cept The Blues. As usual Joe is backed by some Class-A musicians the most notable being Anton Fig's drums, Reece Wynans piano and organs, the aforementioned horns and the Bovaland Orchestra. Joe himself is way beyond comparison we all know by now how good he is by now. Yep this is another great Bonamassa album that will please the long term fans and also show the newly found ones exactly where the man they call Joey Bones comes from. 8/10
Threshold: For The Journey (Nuclear Blast)
Threshold have always been Britain's premier progressive metal band and since 1993's Wounded Land they have been the purveyors of top quality music and our weapon against the American prog metal of Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery and Symphony X. The band have evolved their sound throughout their career and since reuniting with Damien Wilson they have been releasing some of their best material to date. 2012's March Of Progress saw the band come firing back on all cylinders with a majestic album and For The Journey continues with yet more technical but melodic music that has the hooks of rock on the Marillion sounding Autumn Red and crunch of metal on Siren Sky. The band have moved away from longer songs on this album with only the magnificent Floydian The Box clocking in at over 6 minutes, it moves from a piano opening, into a organ drenched rock middle section that sounds very similar to the Ayreon project that Wilson has worked with extensively something that is also evident on Watchtower On The Moon. These two songs set the tone for the album as it has a much darker tone than previous efforts but for all the dark lyricism there are elements of light on Turned To Dust. Wilson has a very unique voice he soars above the majestic music and brings you to tears on Lost In Your Memory which is the band's first proper ballad in years and it is a real stunner. The guitars of founder Karl Groom and (relatively) new boy Pete Morten are excellent with Morten getting some writers credits as well, they meld perfectly with Richard West's superb keys, synths and organs to create some fantastic melodies, they are impressively backed by the rhythm section of Steve Anderson's bass and Johanne James' drums. All of the tracks on this album are very, very good with a great mix of dark, progressive, precisely executed music, The album has a cool little bonus track with a great (sort of) cover the song is I Wish I Could which comes from Johanne's other (also excellent) band Kyrbgrinder albeit with a Threshold twist. Another top level release from Threshold who are one of the best progressive bands to come out of the UK. 9/10
The Order Of Israfel: Wisdom (Napalm Records)
Wisdom is these Gothenberg doomsters first album and the title track starts things off with acoustic minstrelling before the sledgehammer riffs kick in. This is classic denim clad 70's style doom at it's best with occult lyrics, drug induced psych, rumbling bass, jazzy drums and guitars that swap between higher melodies and big tasty riffs. With elements of Candlemass (of course), Cathedral and of course Sabbath, The Order Of Israfel are the very epitome of doom, as from the microcosm of title track, we plunge into On Black Wings, A Demon which is a four minute rocker and one of the three short tracks on the album (one of which is nothing more than an intro) All the rest are over 5 minutes long with the folky The Earth Will Deliver What Heaven Desires clocking in at over 8 minutes and porvides a great song for the middle of the album, The Order is a short call to arms that moves straight into the Orange Goblin style stomp of Born For War which moves into the 15 minute plus instrumental Promises Made To The Earth which breaks the album up but does little else. In fact the last half of this album is just a bit too slow for my liking, the band do play well but its all a bit too depressing. A good effort but trails off at the end. 6/10
It has been 14 years and 10 studio albums (not including collaborations and bands) since Joe Bonamassa first arrived on to the scene, having been a young blues hopeful for years it was his trifecta of albums; You & Me, Sloe Gin and The Ballad Of John Henry that cemented him as one of the new millenniums rock powerhouses. A man that is truly D.I.Y he has shunned major labels to self release, self promote and ultimately owes all of his success to his immense talent and hard work. Bonamassa's albums have always been a mix of his own material and covers of his favourite artists, from Rory Gallagher to Bad Company, Leonard Cohen to Yes. His 11th album Different Shades Of Blue is his firts to feature all original songs and one instrumental intro originally by Hendrix which hardly qualifies. As the dust of this atonal guitar passages settles we get into the first track proper the blues drenched Oh Beautiful! which features lashings of organ, a dark delivery and Joe's trademark guitar prowess during the middle eight. This first song is a testament to Joe's thoughts about this album, he is back in the blues that he came from all those years ago. Apparently he felt he owed his hardcore a strictly blues album due to his straddling of the Rock God borders. Well he has definitely reconnected with the bluesman inside as Oh Beautiful! is a throwback to Clapton, Baker and Bruce, it moves straight into Love Ain't A Love Song which is funky, hip shaking tale of loss driven by Carmine Rojas' bass, Lee Thornburg's horns and Ron Dizubla's sax, a theme which continues on the shuffle of Living On The Moon and the 12 bar walking riff of Heartache Follows Me Wherever I Go. Never Give All Your Heart comes next and has real heartbreak to it and is one of the songs that breaks the blues mold a little as it sounds a bit rockier than the rest of album, the song was co-written with Jonathan Cain of Journey and is a ballad of his bands lofty proportions which is immediately offset by the tongue-in-cheek I Gave Up Everything For You, 'Cept The Blues. As usual Joe is backed by some Class-A musicians the most notable being Anton Fig's drums, Reece Wynans piano and organs, the aforementioned horns and the Bovaland Orchestra. Joe himself is way beyond comparison we all know by now how good he is by now. Yep this is another great Bonamassa album that will please the long term fans and also show the newly found ones exactly where the man they call Joey Bones comes from. 8/10
Threshold: For The Journey (Nuclear Blast)
Threshold have always been Britain's premier progressive metal band and since 1993's Wounded Land they have been the purveyors of top quality music and our weapon against the American prog metal of Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery and Symphony X. The band have evolved their sound throughout their career and since reuniting with Damien Wilson they have been releasing some of their best material to date. 2012's March Of Progress saw the band come firing back on all cylinders with a majestic album and For The Journey continues with yet more technical but melodic music that has the hooks of rock on the Marillion sounding Autumn Red and crunch of metal on Siren Sky. The band have moved away from longer songs on this album with only the magnificent Floydian The Box clocking in at over 6 minutes, it moves from a piano opening, into a organ drenched rock middle section that sounds very similar to the Ayreon project that Wilson has worked with extensively something that is also evident on Watchtower On The Moon. These two songs set the tone for the album as it has a much darker tone than previous efforts but for all the dark lyricism there are elements of light on Turned To Dust. Wilson has a very unique voice he soars above the majestic music and brings you to tears on Lost In Your Memory which is the band's first proper ballad in years and it is a real stunner. The guitars of founder Karl Groom and (relatively) new boy Pete Morten are excellent with Morten getting some writers credits as well, they meld perfectly with Richard West's superb keys, synths and organs to create some fantastic melodies, they are impressively backed by the rhythm section of Steve Anderson's bass and Johanne James' drums. All of the tracks on this album are very, very good with a great mix of dark, progressive, precisely executed music, The album has a cool little bonus track with a great (sort of) cover the song is I Wish I Could which comes from Johanne's other (also excellent) band Kyrbgrinder albeit with a Threshold twist. Another top level release from Threshold who are one of the best progressive bands to come out of the UK. 9/10
The Order Of Israfel: Wisdom (Napalm Records)
Wisdom is these Gothenberg doomsters first album and the title track starts things off with acoustic minstrelling before the sledgehammer riffs kick in. This is classic denim clad 70's style doom at it's best with occult lyrics, drug induced psych, rumbling bass, jazzy drums and guitars that swap between higher melodies and big tasty riffs. With elements of Candlemass (of course), Cathedral and of course Sabbath, The Order Of Israfel are the very epitome of doom, as from the microcosm of title track, we plunge into On Black Wings, A Demon which is a four minute rocker and one of the three short tracks on the album (one of which is nothing more than an intro) All the rest are over 5 minutes long with the folky The Earth Will Deliver What Heaven Desires clocking in at over 8 minutes and porvides a great song for the middle of the album, The Order is a short call to arms that moves straight into the Orange Goblin style stomp of Born For War which moves into the 15 minute plus instrumental Promises Made To The Earth which breaks the album up but does little else. In fact the last half of this album is just a bit too slow for my liking, the band do play well but its all a bit too depressing. A good effort but trails off at the end. 6/10
Monday, 29 September 2014
The View From The Back Of The Room: Anathema
Anathema Thekla, Bristol
Mother's Cake
Austrian rocker's Mother's Cake were in full swing there brand of funk-laden progressive rock was already tripping the huddled masses with their psychedelic preferences. The band did have a sound similar to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers playing Mars Volta songs, yes that is as bad or good as it sounds whatever your preference. Mother's Cake are a good band however they did seem a little out of place as the openers for Anathema, maybe on a rockier more stoner rock bill they would be better suited but for all their talent they did just seem like they had turned up at the wrong gig. 6/10
Anathema
Soon it was time for the main event and the Liverpool six-piece came on to the stage and The Lost Song, Part 1 burst into life with the orchestral keys, mechanical drumming, Vince Cavanagh's amazing vocals all working together to build the song up to it's magnificent crescendo before coming crashing down into The Lost Song, Part 2 which showcases Lee Douglas's ethereal and mesmerizing vocals, so two songs in and the bar was set, the opening salvo of their latest album was going to be the first two shots across the bows that would lead into a magical night. The packed (and incredibly warm) crowd took a collective breath as the first two tracks ended, before the clean acoustic playing of Danny Cavanagh signalled Untouchable, Part 1 a cheer went up from the crowd as Vincent again drew the crowd into his love lost world backed by some sumptuous musicianship. With the three Cavanagh brothers fielding the guitars, Vincent on rhythm, the luxuriously maned Jamie on bass and the excitable Danny on lead guitars, keyboards and piano, they are aided by Daniel Cardoso on drums and the multi talented John Douglas on keys, drums and percussion, his wife Lee provided the final part of the vocal harmonies with Vincent and Danny. Again they hit the crowd straight in the heart with Untouchable Part 2 which is a truly affecting track and all but polished off the over heating, over emotional crowd only four songs in. The piano-led orchestral song is a showstopper that will bring a tear to the eye of even the most hardened Slayer fan. Again a break, a sniff of tears and into the electronic almost Floydian pulse of Thin Air, the band give a masterclass in light and shade as they once again follow the upbeat with the emotionally shattering. This time it was the piano-centric ambient Ariel which holds particular emotional significance to me and I will admit I found it hard to listen, which is a testament to both Anathema's songwriting and live delivery, their music is all encompassing drawing you in and not releasing you until the final notes have rung out. Ariel was the first of three songs from Distant Satellites with the dark electronica of The Lost Song, Part 3 following Ariel and the finale of three coming with the bands self titled track Anathema. The final part of the main set brought the mood into the lower reaches with The Beginning Of The End being a plaintive piano led piece that once again builds into a mighty guitar solo. The orchestral influence of Universal washes over you as the piano-led final section dives straight into the EDM of Closer which features vocoadered vocals and was a bit of a change of pace and sound to finish the main set. More electonica with Distant Satellites to start the encore off, into the longing of A Natural Disaster before the finale of the classic Fragile Dreams. Anathema are a band that ware you out, the sheer majesty of their music leaves you physically and emotionally drained as you have been plunged into despair and raised to near euphoria for the entire set. My one complaint would be certain members of the audience who were (in my opinion) quite rude during the quieter more reflective parts still people can't be helped and Anathema just played ignoring anything that could interfere with them casting their musical magic. A frankly amazing show from a band that are something a bit special, see them on tour as soon as possible! Majestic! 10/10
Friday, 26 September 2014
World Of Metal 18: Craving, Selene, Stonewitch
Craving: At Dawn (Apostasy Records)
I've already reviewed Craving's debut on this blog and was impressed by their blend of black metal and folk. It was good album, a little rough around the edges but overall a nice blast of melodic metal with cookie monster vocals. At Dawn continues in the vein of it's predecessor but has improved sonically with better production meaning that all the instruments are sharp, crisp and obviously loud. Yet again this is a melodic black metal with lots of Celtic and folk influences, see the acoustic minstrel guitar in the middle of opening track Mik as well as on epic sounding Targaryen Wrath which is has a real folk vibe to it and features the guitar prowess of Chris Caffery who adds some solo flourishes on this track. Again the overriding influence on this album would be that of Amon Amarth, the band have your excellent head pummelling blast beat drumming from Maik Schaffstädter, the bass gallop of Leonid Rubinstein, the twin guitar attack of Thorsten Flecken and Ivan Chertov who shred very well at an almost supersonic speed and solo faster! Chertov also provides the multi-lingual gutteral roars, scream and chants, the songs are sung in English Breath After Breath, German; the 8 minute In Die Nacht Hinein and also in Russian with Olga. For the most part as I've said the band are Celtic/Black Metal at their heart but the band do add numerous elements to their sound, from the symphonic touches on Schwarze Flügel through, thrash/death passages and ending with some classic metal rhythms. All in all this is another great metal record from the German mob! 8/10
Selene: Paradise Over (Self Released)
So with all the symphonic female fronted metal bands around it is always hard to stand out. How then, do Northern Ireland's Selene favour? Well from the first track you can hear that this is more than your usual symphonic metal fayre, the guitars and keys of band leader John Connor are from the Kamelot or Sonata Arctica school of music with powerful, punchy guitar riffs, sublime solos and pulsing keys. First track Facing The Mirror is the best example of this as it opens the album up an moves at a great pace, second track Not Enough is your standard operatic ballad on which Shonagh Lyons really shows off her excellent set of pipes, she sings much like Tara Turnen or Simone Simmons but with a definite Irish lilt which is very appealing and distances her from many of the other female operatic singers. Back to the EP and the title track ramps up the speed and also the orchestral nature as it has the blast beats of Cameron Ashlund-Glass (also of Darkest Era). In fact the last couple of tracks are very rocky indeed before all of that stops at the end with Hourglass Fading which is an overwrought, emotional song that brings to mind Evanescence with it's simple piano backing. A good EP that could be the start of something very good for Selene, a nice little taster of things to come. 7/10
Stonewitch: The Godless (Self Released)
French doomsters Stonewitch play slow, brooding, down-tuned doom metal in the style of old school Sabbath , Cathedral and Saint Vitus. This EP is only 5 songs long but it feels much longer with every song full of big doom riffs. The band are made up of a singer and two guitarists, so where the drumming comes from is anyone guess, the band are good and the vocals are bellowed rather than sung which always helps in doom. However you do get the feeling you've heard all this before, which maybe because you have a fair few times, that's not say it isn't well delivered or indeed bad it just means that it is all a bit samey, its your standard doom fair which does little to reinvent what has come before or indeed what the big hitters of the genre do. Unfortunately this is mid level doom fit for dingy pubs and hardcore heshers only. 6/10
I've already reviewed Craving's debut on this blog and was impressed by their blend of black metal and folk. It was good album, a little rough around the edges but overall a nice blast of melodic metal with cookie monster vocals. At Dawn continues in the vein of it's predecessor but has improved sonically with better production meaning that all the instruments are sharp, crisp and obviously loud. Yet again this is a melodic black metal with lots of Celtic and folk influences, see the acoustic minstrel guitar in the middle of opening track Mik as well as on epic sounding Targaryen Wrath which is has a real folk vibe to it and features the guitar prowess of Chris Caffery who adds some solo flourishes on this track. Again the overriding influence on this album would be that of Amon Amarth, the band have your excellent head pummelling blast beat drumming from Maik Schaffstädter, the bass gallop of Leonid Rubinstein, the twin guitar attack of Thorsten Flecken and Ivan Chertov who shred very well at an almost supersonic speed and solo faster! Chertov also provides the multi-lingual gutteral roars, scream and chants, the songs are sung in English Breath After Breath, German; the 8 minute In Die Nacht Hinein and also in Russian with Olga. For the most part as I've said the band are Celtic/Black Metal at their heart but the band do add numerous elements to their sound, from the symphonic touches on Schwarze Flügel through, thrash/death passages and ending with some classic metal rhythms. All in all this is another great metal record from the German mob! 8/10
Selene: Paradise Over (Self Released)
So with all the symphonic female fronted metal bands around it is always hard to stand out. How then, do Northern Ireland's Selene favour? Well from the first track you can hear that this is more than your usual symphonic metal fayre, the guitars and keys of band leader John Connor are from the Kamelot or Sonata Arctica school of music with powerful, punchy guitar riffs, sublime solos and pulsing keys. First track Facing The Mirror is the best example of this as it opens the album up an moves at a great pace, second track Not Enough is your standard operatic ballad on which Shonagh Lyons really shows off her excellent set of pipes, she sings much like Tara Turnen or Simone Simmons but with a definite Irish lilt which is very appealing and distances her from many of the other female operatic singers. Back to the EP and the title track ramps up the speed and also the orchestral nature as it has the blast beats of Cameron Ashlund-Glass (also of Darkest Era). In fact the last couple of tracks are very rocky indeed before all of that stops at the end with Hourglass Fading which is an overwrought, emotional song that brings to mind Evanescence with it's simple piano backing. A good EP that could be the start of something very good for Selene, a nice little taster of things to come. 7/10
Stonewitch: The Godless (Self Released)
French doomsters Stonewitch play slow, brooding, down-tuned doom metal in the style of old school Sabbath , Cathedral and Saint Vitus. This EP is only 5 songs long but it feels much longer with every song full of big doom riffs. The band are made up of a singer and two guitarists, so where the drumming comes from is anyone guess, the band are good and the vocals are bellowed rather than sung which always helps in doom. However you do get the feeling you've heard all this before, which maybe because you have a fair few times, that's not say it isn't well delivered or indeed bad it just means that it is all a bit samey, its your standard doom fair which does little to reinvent what has come before or indeed what the big hitters of the genre do. Unfortunately this is mid level doom fit for dingy pubs and hardcore heshers only. 6/10
Monday, 22 September 2014
Review: Robert Plant, Slash, Lenny Kravitz
With all the new music around sometimes you have to go back to the old school, so this review contains three new albums from the Old Guard of rock.
Robert Plant: Lullaby And...The Ceaseless Roar (Nonesuch/Warner Bros)
The word Legend is thrown around a lot in press circles, well if one man fits the bill it is Robert Plant, he is a musician who doesn't need any preamble, you know who he is and what he's done (both on and off stage) so there is no need to dwell on that. What also puts him in legendary status is the fact that where as many of his time are novelty/tribute acts Plant strives to reinvent himself on every album, drawing from his wide influences to create new interesting music. There was his critically acclaimed album with Alison Krauss, a return to his folk roots with the Band Of Joy and now with a 'new' band The Sensational Space Shifters he reinvents himself again (well slightly). I wrote this last sentence with some ambiguity as the majority of the members in the The Sensational Space Shifters were in his pre Krauss band Strange Sensation, Plant recorded two albums with this band the best being the excellent Mighty Re-Arranger which is actually one of my favourite Plant solo albums. Much like that album was mix of conventional rock, mixed with electronica and world music, Lullaby..... harnesses the electronic and World Music elements with a lot of pulsing beats coming from John Baggott's keys, synths as well as Billy Fuller's bass playing and drum programming, they are augmented by Dave Smith's real drums, Justin Adams and Liam 'Skin' Tyson's guitars and various string instruments and Judleh Camara's traditional Gambian instrumentation. The banjo driven Little Maggie starts the album off this traditional song is bolstered by a trip-hop drum loop and the Riti (single string bow) of Camara. Plant doesn't roar on this album he plays it cool and collected but also tender and raw. This is an album of rediscovery, after living in America for the last few years it's Plant bringing back his Celtic and African influences again. Rainbow is features some guitars as well as all manner of percussion encompassing djembe, bendir, tabal. The surf-like feel of Pocketful Of Golden takes you away on a wave before the African feel to Embrace Another Fall is full of smoky atmospherics and lilting vocals of Welsh singer Julie Murphy as the track builds towards the end, Turn It Up is a rockier fair. For the most part though this is an album that is a superb mix of folk, rock, trance and world music all delivered in style by the multi-instrumentalist musicians with the added joy of THAT voice, no it's not the storm summoning howl of his younger years but at 66 he has no need to show off and even on the understated vocal on this album, his recent live shows prove he can still hits notes men half his age can't. Another great album from this music legend and one that feels to be the spiritual follow up to Mighty Re-Arranger and also it feels like Percy has come home. 9/10
Slash: World On Fire (Dik Hayd International)
So the 3 solo from Mr Hudson better known as Slash is upon us and yet again it comes as part of Team Rock 'fan pack' featuring the 17 track album along with other collectible stuff. So what does the album sound like? Well...its sounds like Slash, it's full of his loose hipped, slithering riffs and his easy, fleet fingered soloing. It's also full of recycling, many of the riffs sound a bit too much like G'N'R for my liking, see Shadow Life which sounds like Welcome To The Jungle on the intro, Withered Delilah has that G'N'R vibe too, in fact getting away from that sound will always be hard for the man who pioneered it but it's when he really does get away from it that are the best songs, the title track is the perfect example of this as is the speedy Automatic Overdrive, the hard rocking Wicked Stone, the Hendrix baiting Stone Blind and the Metallica style Beneath The Savage Sun. Still he does revert to type too many times for my liking, see the Paradise City-style drum intro to 30 Years To Life. Because of this Slash is lucky he has superb backing band in The Conspirators, with Todd Kerns bass work mirroring the virtuosity of Slash's guitar work, the cowbell happy percussion of Brent Fitz and of course the ultra versatile voice of Myles Kennedy who is equally comfortable as himself on the ballad Bent To Fly, Axl Rose or indeed Scott Weiland (yes there are of course VR influences on the album too). The production too is in Slash's favour as Michael Baskette's knob twiddling means that everything sounds HUGE, which after 17 tracks can get tire you out as the wall of sound just pummels you on every song, taking a lot of the light and shade out of the record. Still this is the modern way of doing it and it doesn't really deter from the album too much. The album is long, nearly 80 minutes and yes there is some filler, instrumental Safari Inn isn't needed. This album has got the quality that is lent to anything with Slash's name (don't mention Snakepit) still it's nothing new, it was always going to sound like Slash and his legacy and it does, many of the songs will sound familiar but there is enough differentiation to keep it at least a little fresh. Three solo albums in and the Cat In The Hat is still producing the quality you've all heard before. 8/10
Lenny Kravitz: Strut (Roxie Records)
Lenny Kravitz has had a career of two halves really his early career gave him huge chart success with many praising his mix of funk, blues and rock. Like the musical love child of Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers, Prince and Jimi Hendrix, Kravitz has always been an individual but his latter day albums have not been the commercial success of his early works, but they have been critically acclaimed showing that the man has gotten better with age and maturity. Well straight out of the blocks comes Sex a funky guitar driven track, with a hand-clap percussion that is pure Purple One, Kravitz is on fine vocal form, his soulful vocals pining for promiscuity. First single The Chamber has the bass-led, staccato guitar disco of Chic or Parliament (In fact it closely resembles Hot Chocolate's Everyone's A Winner). It is here that you can also hear how talented Kravitz is as all the instrumentation you hear is Kravitz, from the drums, through the keys and guitars and even the production is him and a sterling job he does all round. Dirty White Boots is a big, dirty rocker filled with some killer guitar work. In fact nearly all of the 14 tracks on this album are impressive from the swaggering, saxophone fuelled paean to his home town New York City, the soulful brass led ballad The Pleasure And The Pain and the title track which could be the sequel to Cameo's Word Up. There are some weaker tracks with Happy Birthday being a nice distraction but little more. Kravitz's tenth solo album is one that harks back to his retro modern vibe but also keeps him in the musical conciousness. Kravitz has always been immensely talented but underrated, however this album (and indeed his previous 2) is just prime funk/soul/rock at its best. 8/10
Robert Plant: Lullaby And...The Ceaseless Roar (Nonesuch/Warner Bros)
The word Legend is thrown around a lot in press circles, well if one man fits the bill it is Robert Plant, he is a musician who doesn't need any preamble, you know who he is and what he's done (both on and off stage) so there is no need to dwell on that. What also puts him in legendary status is the fact that where as many of his time are novelty/tribute acts Plant strives to reinvent himself on every album, drawing from his wide influences to create new interesting music. There was his critically acclaimed album with Alison Krauss, a return to his folk roots with the Band Of Joy and now with a 'new' band The Sensational Space Shifters he reinvents himself again (well slightly). I wrote this last sentence with some ambiguity as the majority of the members in the The Sensational Space Shifters were in his pre Krauss band Strange Sensation, Plant recorded two albums with this band the best being the excellent Mighty Re-Arranger which is actually one of my favourite Plant solo albums. Much like that album was mix of conventional rock, mixed with electronica and world music, Lullaby..... harnesses the electronic and World Music elements with a lot of pulsing beats coming from John Baggott's keys, synths as well as Billy Fuller's bass playing and drum programming, they are augmented by Dave Smith's real drums, Justin Adams and Liam 'Skin' Tyson's guitars and various string instruments and Judleh Camara's traditional Gambian instrumentation. The banjo driven Little Maggie starts the album off this traditional song is bolstered by a trip-hop drum loop and the Riti (single string bow) of Camara. Plant doesn't roar on this album he plays it cool and collected but also tender and raw. This is an album of rediscovery, after living in America for the last few years it's Plant bringing back his Celtic and African influences again. Rainbow is features some guitars as well as all manner of percussion encompassing djembe, bendir, tabal. The surf-like feel of Pocketful Of Golden takes you away on a wave before the African feel to Embrace Another Fall is full of smoky atmospherics and lilting vocals of Welsh singer Julie Murphy as the track builds towards the end, Turn It Up is a rockier fair. For the most part though this is an album that is a superb mix of folk, rock, trance and world music all delivered in style by the multi-instrumentalist musicians with the added joy of THAT voice, no it's not the storm summoning howl of his younger years but at 66 he has no need to show off and even on the understated vocal on this album, his recent live shows prove he can still hits notes men half his age can't. Another great album from this music legend and one that feels to be the spiritual follow up to Mighty Re-Arranger and also it feels like Percy has come home. 9/10
Slash: World On Fire (Dik Hayd International)
So the 3 solo from Mr Hudson better known as Slash is upon us and yet again it comes as part of Team Rock 'fan pack' featuring the 17 track album along with other collectible stuff. So what does the album sound like? Well...its sounds like Slash, it's full of his loose hipped, slithering riffs and his easy, fleet fingered soloing. It's also full of recycling, many of the riffs sound a bit too much like G'N'R for my liking, see Shadow Life which sounds like Welcome To The Jungle on the intro, Withered Delilah has that G'N'R vibe too, in fact getting away from that sound will always be hard for the man who pioneered it but it's when he really does get away from it that are the best songs, the title track is the perfect example of this as is the speedy Automatic Overdrive, the hard rocking Wicked Stone, the Hendrix baiting Stone Blind and the Metallica style Beneath The Savage Sun. Still he does revert to type too many times for my liking, see the Paradise City-style drum intro to 30 Years To Life. Because of this Slash is lucky he has superb backing band in The Conspirators, with Todd Kerns bass work mirroring the virtuosity of Slash's guitar work, the cowbell happy percussion of Brent Fitz and of course the ultra versatile voice of Myles Kennedy who is equally comfortable as himself on the ballad Bent To Fly, Axl Rose or indeed Scott Weiland (yes there are of course VR influences on the album too). The production too is in Slash's favour as Michael Baskette's knob twiddling means that everything sounds HUGE, which after 17 tracks can get tire you out as the wall of sound just pummels you on every song, taking a lot of the light and shade out of the record. Still this is the modern way of doing it and it doesn't really deter from the album too much. The album is long, nearly 80 minutes and yes there is some filler, instrumental Safari Inn isn't needed. This album has got the quality that is lent to anything with Slash's name (don't mention Snakepit) still it's nothing new, it was always going to sound like Slash and his legacy and it does, many of the songs will sound familiar but there is enough differentiation to keep it at least a little fresh. Three solo albums in and the Cat In The Hat is still producing the quality you've all heard before. 8/10
Lenny Kravitz: Strut (Roxie Records)
Lenny Kravitz has had a career of two halves really his early career gave him huge chart success with many praising his mix of funk, blues and rock. Like the musical love child of Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers, Prince and Jimi Hendrix, Kravitz has always been an individual but his latter day albums have not been the commercial success of his early works, but they have been critically acclaimed showing that the man has gotten better with age and maturity. Well straight out of the blocks comes Sex a funky guitar driven track, with a hand-clap percussion that is pure Purple One, Kravitz is on fine vocal form, his soulful vocals pining for promiscuity. First single The Chamber has the bass-led, staccato guitar disco of Chic or Parliament (In fact it closely resembles Hot Chocolate's Everyone's A Winner). It is here that you can also hear how talented Kravitz is as all the instrumentation you hear is Kravitz, from the drums, through the keys and guitars and even the production is him and a sterling job he does all round. Dirty White Boots is a big, dirty rocker filled with some killer guitar work. In fact nearly all of the 14 tracks on this album are impressive from the swaggering, saxophone fuelled paean to his home town New York City, the soulful brass led ballad The Pleasure And The Pain and the title track which could be the sequel to Cameo's Word Up. There are some weaker tracks with Happy Birthday being a nice distraction but little more. Kravitz's tenth solo album is one that harks back to his retro modern vibe but also keeps him in the musical conciousness. Kravitz has always been immensely talented but underrated, however this album (and indeed his previous 2) is just prime funk/soul/rock at its best. 8/10
Sunday, 21 September 2014
World Of Metal 17: Wild Rose, Never Awake, Tides Of Sulfur
Wild Rose: Hit 'N' Run (AOR Blvd Records)
You can tell what Wild Rose sound like from their name and their record label, they are pure AOR with huge keyboard hooks, melodic guitars and strong emotional vocals. Hailing from Greece Wild Rose take you back to the time of Foreigner, Journey and Styx with the lush, saccharine keys of Dirty Haris that kick off Through The Night continue on I'll Be There which also features some great guitar playing from main man Andy Rock who along with Tiny Karpo do their best Mick Jones/Neal Schon throughout. They are being backed by the rock solid rhythm section of Phil Gun and Dimos Thomaidis on bass and drums respectively before the entire (glacé) cherry is the Sammy Hagar-like voice of Brit David A. Saylor, his voice is at it's best on the ballads, especially the sickly Without Your Love. For many this album will be reviled due to the fact that it is pure AOR cheese, some may dismiss it as lightweight or throwaway, but this is very good album the songs are very strong and they are the epitome of the genre they represent, the songs are great with pulsing rockers that have a poppy radio friendly edge and the heart wrenching ballads that make up the record. The solo's sizzle from the fretboard, the keys evoke those memories of headbands and leg warmers and the vocals are soulful but have a gritty quality too. There will be detractors of Wild Rose's third album and opinion will be split (especially here at the Musipedia) but Hit 'N' Run is a great AOR album and I've always had a soft spot for AOR meaning that I personally like the album a lot, 8/10
Never Awake: Underground (Self Released)
Tides Of Sulfur: Ypres (Self Released)
Tides Of Sulfur hail from my home country, their first EP Eternal Bleeding showed their hand as one of South Wales' premier noise merchants and their second named after a Belgian city that was the seen of one of the most intense battles in WWI. The band have cornered the market in noisy, brutal, bleakness and the 10 minute plus title track opens with a hail of bullets and from there the relentless mechanical battery that is all encompassing, the drums of Tom Lee are like an artillery assault, the guitar of Anthony O'Shea is down tuned and heavy as hell giving the song it's huge riff and Chris Bull is the gut churning bottom end and also his howitzer-like vocals. Next is 16 With A Bullet which is a short, sharp shock of loudness that drives straight into the bass led Trench Foot which again crushes everything in it's wake with the bands mix of sludge, doom and bit of death thrown in for good measure. Another great EP from these Welsh men of war and one that sounds it's best when played through a huge stereo, mainly due to the improved sonics on this EP. Ypres is big and foreboding and after the three tracks end you are shaken to the core. good stuff indeed! 8/10
You can tell what Wild Rose sound like from their name and their record label, they are pure AOR with huge keyboard hooks, melodic guitars and strong emotional vocals. Hailing from Greece Wild Rose take you back to the time of Foreigner, Journey and Styx with the lush, saccharine keys of Dirty Haris that kick off Through The Night continue on I'll Be There which also features some great guitar playing from main man Andy Rock who along with Tiny Karpo do their best Mick Jones/Neal Schon throughout. They are being backed by the rock solid rhythm section of Phil Gun and Dimos Thomaidis on bass and drums respectively before the entire (glacé) cherry is the Sammy Hagar-like voice of Brit David A. Saylor, his voice is at it's best on the ballads, especially the sickly Without Your Love. For many this album will be reviled due to the fact that it is pure AOR cheese, some may dismiss it as lightweight or throwaway, but this is very good album the songs are very strong and they are the epitome of the genre they represent, the songs are great with pulsing rockers that have a poppy radio friendly edge and the heart wrenching ballads that make up the record. The solo's sizzle from the fretboard, the keys evoke those memories of headbands and leg warmers and the vocals are soulful but have a gritty quality too. There will be detractors of Wild Rose's third album and opinion will be split (especially here at the Musipedia) but Hit 'N' Run is a great AOR album and I've always had a soft spot for AOR meaning that I personally like the album a lot, 8/10
Never Awake: Underground (Self Released)
Never Awake are a progressive metal band from Portland, Oregon and one wonders where the hell have these guys been! This debut is something very special, it is awesome to see a young band producing such quality this early in their career. The band cite Dream Theater as an influence and have toured with Fates Warning, both of whom influence the bands sound massively along with the likes of Shadow Gallery and Symphony X. The songs are very definitely in the metal category with thrash riffs, blast beating drums and lots of fret melting solo's. Firing the first shot is Pull The Trigger which crashes in with some modern metal riffage from Matt Galligan who is channelling John Pertucci on his technical riffage and lightning fast solos, the rhythm section of Alex MacDonald's drums and Jesse Weiss' bass is amazing especially on the title track where the bass leads the chunky riff and the drums are precise, powerful, intensely technical and I hate to say it very Portnoy-like. What separates them from their main influence is the vocals of Taylor Dye, who has more alternative modern metal voice than the higher register usually associated with this kind of music, the vocals really add a new dynamic to the already impressive music, as Dye's voice is very strong and emotive especially on Wander which slows the album down but still shows off the bands impressive musical chops, Cross The Line starts off with more of modern edge that is straight out of the Opeth play book with a rhythm section driven by galloping percussion before the middle section is a piano led orchestral piece that Opeth do so well, everything speeds up again in the final part. Habits is an acoustic led ballad that does well to break up the album with it's reflective and sombre tone. As I've said Never Awake look to the New York prog veterans as inspiration and much of Dream Theater's latter albums (Train Of Thought onward) and as the heavyweight battery of The Will To Live brings things back into the realm of loud you can really hear the similarities. However this is not to say that they are a blatant copy of Dream Theater, far from it, they add their own muscular sheen to the eight tracks on this album meaning that their debut is a master-class in progressive metal and also issues a challenge of "Beat This!" to other bands of their ilk. 9/10
Tides Of Sulfur: Ypres (Self Released)
Tides Of Sulfur hail from my home country, their first EP Eternal Bleeding showed their hand as one of South Wales' premier noise merchants and their second named after a Belgian city that was the seen of one of the most intense battles in WWI. The band have cornered the market in noisy, brutal, bleakness and the 10 minute plus title track opens with a hail of bullets and from there the relentless mechanical battery that is all encompassing, the drums of Tom Lee are like an artillery assault, the guitar of Anthony O'Shea is down tuned and heavy as hell giving the song it's huge riff and Chris Bull is the gut churning bottom end and also his howitzer-like vocals. Next is 16 With A Bullet which is a short, sharp shock of loudness that drives straight into the bass led Trench Foot which again crushes everything in it's wake with the bands mix of sludge, doom and bit of death thrown in for good measure. Another great EP from these Welsh men of war and one that sounds it's best when played through a huge stereo, mainly due to the improved sonics on this EP. Ypres is big and foreboding and after the three tracks end you are shaken to the core. good stuff indeed! 8/10
Saturday, 20 September 2014
A View From The Back Of The Room: Blackwolf & Fire Red Empress
Blackwolf & Fire Red Empress The Exchange, Bristol
A short jaunt to Bristol for two up and coming British rock band, as we waited outside, many were unsure why the tour was now only two bands rather than three, however The Brew had some problems so we were now left with newbies Fire Red Empress and rising stars Blackwolf, fresh from a support tour with The Answer and a slot at Steelhouse.
Into the Exchange and the atmosphere was electric, there was the usual mix of old and young which was very nice to see, there were rockers, metallers, corporate types and those curious of this band that have support from both Classic Rock and Planet Rock. As we mulled around I think the DJ in The Exchange misjudged the audience somewhat as the warm up music playing over the P.A was brutal death metal, interspersed with TOTO and wrestling themes. Still I found it all hilarious and as Fire Red Empress took the stage all eyes were on them.
Fire Red Empress
As these five men took the stage they launched straight into their brand of heavy, hook filled rock. The band are about big, monster riffs mixed with a radio friendly sheen. For a band that are relatively new to the scene and one that only actually have three song EP to their name filling a long set may have been difficult but the band already have an entire set list of songs that equally as good as the cowbell driven Left Unspoken, the QOTSA style Paint Me The Devil and the massive crushing riff of Behind The Veil. They indeed have a set list of great song all of which get you rocking very well, the Gethin brothers' guitars are biting, distorted and drive the songs along with a modern yet classic sound. Ben Picken's bass and Luke Middleton's drums are where a lot of Fire Red Empress' power comes from with a rumbling thunder coming from the back of the stage. These big, bludgeoning riffs are a perfect counterpoint for the powerful, melodic vocals of Nik Taylor-Stoakes who has distinctly modern sounding voice and is a sublime frontman, air guitaring, and rocking as the band moved through the the set, he was also affable, not taking himself early when joking about the band members ages even though they are only a new band! This obvious experience pays off as the band deliver every song with guts and precision. Fire Red Empress have a great stage presence and some awesome songs that remind you of QOTSA mixed with a bit of Clutch, they are modern, heavy and could just explode soon! 8/10
Blackwolf
Playing to a partisan audience, the home town heroes returned in their first headlining tour, as the masses gathered almost filling the venue, the band came on stage and kicked straight into the bluesy intro to Moving Mountains which does just that kicking things off with it's hip shaking, swagger. With a great bottom end coming from the funky bass of Ben Webb and the powerhouse drumming of Tom Lennox-Brown Blackwolf have the same kind of power in their rhythm that Zeppelin did with JPJ and Bohnam, this is bolstered by the Malcolm Young style riffing of guitarist Jason Cronin, these three set the base on which John Greenhill can peel off leads and solos like Page, Kossoff and even Hendrix. At the end of the first track the crowd erupted and noticeably shocked band plunged straight into the AC/DC style stomp of Keep Moving On came next keeping the tempo high and provided ample opportunity for the fans to rock out, before the speed picked up again with rapid fire rush of Black Hole Friend which has the snooty punk edge of Appetite era G'N'R. Another stop, another ovation and the band that are all about the fans are obvious crowd pleaser's, their mix of the classic bands like Zep, Free and Acca Dacca all wrapped in modern delivery is all encompassing. the atmosphere they create is simply electric and it's on songs like the excellent Sleepwalking that show what this band can do, it is a ballad Aerosmith would be proud of with melodic guitars and Scott Sharp's impressive and expansive vocal range that is part Rodgers, part Plant and even part Cornell, especially on the heavier, grungier new track Kiss The Fire and Steady Slow. House Of Emerald Wine is a bluesy rocker that got the crowd up again and moved into the pure Zeppelin of Faith In Me. Sharp guided the crowd in shouts, calls and claps for the sing along tracks like Relief and House Of Emerald Wine he is a hell of front man who commands the attention of the crowd with his superb voice and style, he is the perfect focal point for a band that let the music do the talking (as the Toxic Twins used to say), although Cronin's stomps and gurns are on par on the entertainment level. The main set came to an end with the gospel/blues influenced Sea Of Mercy which is another rump shaker and as the the last note rang out the crowd erupted with calls for more, the band duly obliged their parting shot being the excellent Mr Maker which brought the house down. Nights like these are ones that make me love what I do, two great bands that represent the future of British rock, I can tell you it is in very good hands!! 9/10
A short jaunt to Bristol for two up and coming British rock band, as we waited outside, many were unsure why the tour was now only two bands rather than three, however The Brew had some problems so we were now left with newbies Fire Red Empress and rising stars Blackwolf, fresh from a support tour with The Answer and a slot at Steelhouse.
Into the Exchange and the atmosphere was electric, there was the usual mix of old and young which was very nice to see, there were rockers, metallers, corporate types and those curious of this band that have support from both Classic Rock and Planet Rock. As we mulled around I think the DJ in The Exchange misjudged the audience somewhat as the warm up music playing over the P.A was brutal death metal, interspersed with TOTO and wrestling themes. Still I found it all hilarious and as Fire Red Empress took the stage all eyes were on them.
Fire Red Empress
As these five men took the stage they launched straight into their brand of heavy, hook filled rock. The band are about big, monster riffs mixed with a radio friendly sheen. For a band that are relatively new to the scene and one that only actually have three song EP to their name filling a long set may have been difficult but the band already have an entire set list of songs that equally as good as the cowbell driven Left Unspoken, the QOTSA style Paint Me The Devil and the massive crushing riff of Behind The Veil. They indeed have a set list of great song all of which get you rocking very well, the Gethin brothers' guitars are biting, distorted and drive the songs along with a modern yet classic sound. Ben Picken's bass and Luke Middleton's drums are where a lot of Fire Red Empress' power comes from with a rumbling thunder coming from the back of the stage. These big, bludgeoning riffs are a perfect counterpoint for the powerful, melodic vocals of Nik Taylor-Stoakes who has distinctly modern sounding voice and is a sublime frontman, air guitaring, and rocking as the band moved through the the set, he was also affable, not taking himself early when joking about the band members ages even though they are only a new band! This obvious experience pays off as the band deliver every song with guts and precision. Fire Red Empress have a great stage presence and some awesome songs that remind you of QOTSA mixed with a bit of Clutch, they are modern, heavy and could just explode soon! 8/10
Blackwolf
Playing to a partisan audience, the home town heroes returned in their first headlining tour, as the masses gathered almost filling the venue, the band came on stage and kicked straight into the bluesy intro to Moving Mountains which does just that kicking things off with it's hip shaking, swagger. With a great bottom end coming from the funky bass of Ben Webb and the powerhouse drumming of Tom Lennox-Brown Blackwolf have the same kind of power in their rhythm that Zeppelin did with JPJ and Bohnam, this is bolstered by the Malcolm Young style riffing of guitarist Jason Cronin, these three set the base on which John Greenhill can peel off leads and solos like Page, Kossoff and even Hendrix. At the end of the first track the crowd erupted and noticeably shocked band plunged straight into the AC/DC style stomp of Keep Moving On came next keeping the tempo high and provided ample opportunity for the fans to rock out, before the speed picked up again with rapid fire rush of Black Hole Friend which has the snooty punk edge of Appetite era G'N'R. Another stop, another ovation and the band that are all about the fans are obvious crowd pleaser's, their mix of the classic bands like Zep, Free and Acca Dacca all wrapped in modern delivery is all encompassing. the atmosphere they create is simply electric and it's on songs like the excellent Sleepwalking that show what this band can do, it is a ballad Aerosmith would be proud of with melodic guitars and Scott Sharp's impressive and expansive vocal range that is part Rodgers, part Plant and even part Cornell, especially on the heavier, grungier new track Kiss The Fire and Steady Slow. House Of Emerald Wine is a bluesy rocker that got the crowd up again and moved into the pure Zeppelin of Faith In Me. Sharp guided the crowd in shouts, calls and claps for the sing along tracks like Relief and House Of Emerald Wine he is a hell of front man who commands the attention of the crowd with his superb voice and style, he is the perfect focal point for a band that let the music do the talking (as the Toxic Twins used to say), although Cronin's stomps and gurns are on par on the entertainment level. The main set came to an end with the gospel/blues influenced Sea Of Mercy which is another rump shaker and as the the last note rang out the crowd erupted with calls for more, the band duly obliged their parting shot being the excellent Mr Maker which brought the house down. Nights like these are ones that make me love what I do, two great bands that represent the future of British rock, I can tell you it is in very good hands!! 9/10
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Reviews: Sólstafir, Aeon Zen, Empress AD
Sólstafir: Ótta (Seasons Of Mist)
Sólstafir are one of Iceland's premier bands, Ótta is their fifth album. Much like Swedes Katatonia or our own Anathema, Sólstafir used to deal in black/death metal but their sound has evolved into the post rock world of using noise and soundscapes to create atmosphere. What an atmosphere they create as on these 8 tracks, you are taken on an audio journey through the desolation of Iceland, the album is somewhat of a concept piece as it is taking you through a single day with Lágnætti (midnight) starting things off and Náttmál (Nighttime) ending the album. All of the tracks are performed with intense feeling and passion as well as in their native tongue, this however doesn't detract from the music rather it enhances it. The band are not just your simple guitars, drums and bass set-up they add folk instruments on the dark and brooding title track (Night) to enhance the song. Rismál (Dayrise) is a sparse, almost indie sounding track full of jangly guitar that sounds like the sun creeping into the sky. It is one of the shorter songs on the album at just over four minutes but it is excellent and leads into the driving rock of Dagmál (Morning) which has a shimmering guitar line that really brings the song to life along with Aðalbjörn Tryggvason's remorseful vocals. This album is a true post rock record drawing more from the shoegaze, ambient and post punk than it does from hard rock or metal, the dreamy Miðdegi is testament to this. I'll be honest I've never heard any Sólstafir and I am impressed, this is music that you must take in it's entirety, it's an album not a collection of songs but when the songs are as good as the Porcupine Tree style Nón (Noon) it's hard not to pick and choose. However you can't deny how good this album is when you listen to it in it's entirety. It is a marvellous album that just lets you, sit back, relax and be immersed by the sheer quality of this record. A record to play when you need a change of pace, some may be put off by the mellow sounds contained herein, even by the Icelandic vocals, but don't be put off, this album is excellent and well worth seeking out. 9/10
Aeon Zen: Ephemera (Richard Hinks Music)
Aeon Zen are now on their fourth full length record and since their stunning debut they have gone from strength to strength, nothing is off limits to this band, they encompass many genres from rock and metal to jazz, folk and electronica. The band is the brainchild of Richard Hinks with all the songs written, arranged and produced by him, he also provides bass and vocals, on record he also contributes rhythm, additional lead guitars and keyboards on the records (while other musician's provide these roles live), he is aided in his kaleidoscope of noise by drummer Steve Burton and guitarist Alistair Bell. The band have also had a pick of vocalists on every album with the longest serving being Andi Kravljaca whose classic metal vocals suit the music well allowing Hinks to contribute to huge backing choirs and even the odd scream and grunt. I mention the massive influences this band has but they are at their heart a metal band which is shown by the frankly head crushingly heavy The Entity which has a Messugah style start stop riff, lots of electronics, but also some massive hooks coupled with a searing guitar and keyboard solo. It's a hell of a start to this album that shows off everything that makes this band great, the vocal interplay, the amazing musicianship and most importantly the supreme writing. Soul Machine starts out like a Symphony X/ Dream Theater song with a huge choral vocal, some mellifluous guitar and keys as well as a lot of orchestrations, the track slows in the middle with a post rock drone before the final part explodes into Behemoth style symphonic black metal replete with furious blast beats from Burton and synth solo finale. Life kicks off with a jazzy swing opening, which continues throughout making this one of the proggier tracks on the album and really showing off Hinks' bass work. Unite is a definite single being one of the shortest tracks on the album but distils everything the band is about in one song. This is the sound of a band that are at the top of their game, it is a wonderful time for British prog with Haken, Tesseract and of course Aeon Zen all showing that we do this kind of incredibly creative, emotive and frankly fantastic music better than anyone and Ephemera is a showcase of that! 10/10
P.S: I urge you to check out Aeon Zen start with Ephemera and then work your way through their back catalogue. You will not be disappointed!
Empress AD: Still Life Moving Fast (Roadrunner)
Empress AD are one of the new breed of aggressive, intelligent and frankly mesmerising progressive metal. Channelling bands like Mastodon, Baroness and Tesseract but also adding a lot of old school prog into the mix. Empress AD have a real groove vibe that sits somewhere between Mastodon and Opeth on Invisible Conductor which opens the album and kicks things of in aggressive style. There's fuzz driven bass, melodic guitar lines, screams and also clean vocals from Ollie Loring, there's even a drum solo from Edd Unwin in the middle of the track. The change into Delve Into The Retrospect is jarring as the song starts off with and almost King Crimson like vibe, but when the guitars come in the band dive straight into Akerfeldt territory with the fractured guitar lines and wistful quiet phases. Into the modern prog of Deeper In Disguise which starts off on fire and then goes into middle eight that sounds like a heavy metal Muse. These four men are amazing musicians they play with immense technicality or fluidity that are at their most evident on the more ambient, melodic tracks such as From Where I Cannot Reach. The song writing is in the upper echelon and the band unlike many carrying the tag are truly progressive, Urwin's drums are intensely percussive and clearly jazz influenced, Alex Loring's bass is the anchor leading the time changes, and Tom Meadon and Ollie Loring's guitars work wonders flowing between melodic noddling and heavy distorted metal battering. Back to worship at the altar of Mikael for On My Return with it's driving, grinding almost oriental riff and light and shade work building into a cacophony of noise. This album is one that is rare, it is equally full of immediacy but also many of the songs need repeated listens to develop. Usually I know what a Roadrunner album will sound like; I was presently surprised when I heard this, it was a very refreshing experince to hear a band of this talent unafraid to compromise. The album ends with Did We See which slows the pace and Consumed which does just that with its exercise in loud/quiet dynamics and euphoric finale. Still Life Moving Fast is a must for those reared on Mastodon, Neurosis and indeed Opeth, but it will also appeal to those from the background of King Crimson and Pink Floyd. An utter triumph!! 10/10
Sólstafir are one of Iceland's premier bands, Ótta is their fifth album. Much like Swedes Katatonia or our own Anathema, Sólstafir used to deal in black/death metal but their sound has evolved into the post rock world of using noise and soundscapes to create atmosphere. What an atmosphere they create as on these 8 tracks, you are taken on an audio journey through the desolation of Iceland, the album is somewhat of a concept piece as it is taking you through a single day with Lágnætti (midnight) starting things off and Náttmál (Nighttime) ending the album. All of the tracks are performed with intense feeling and passion as well as in their native tongue, this however doesn't detract from the music rather it enhances it. The band are not just your simple guitars, drums and bass set-up they add folk instruments on the dark and brooding title track (Night) to enhance the song. Rismál (Dayrise) is a sparse, almost indie sounding track full of jangly guitar that sounds like the sun creeping into the sky. It is one of the shorter songs on the album at just over four minutes but it is excellent and leads into the driving rock of Dagmál (Morning) which has a shimmering guitar line that really brings the song to life along with Aðalbjörn Tryggvason's remorseful vocals. This album is a true post rock record drawing more from the shoegaze, ambient and post punk than it does from hard rock or metal, the dreamy Miðdegi is testament to this. I'll be honest I've never heard any Sólstafir and I am impressed, this is music that you must take in it's entirety, it's an album not a collection of songs but when the songs are as good as the Porcupine Tree style Nón (Noon) it's hard not to pick and choose. However you can't deny how good this album is when you listen to it in it's entirety. It is a marvellous album that just lets you, sit back, relax and be immersed by the sheer quality of this record. A record to play when you need a change of pace, some may be put off by the mellow sounds contained herein, even by the Icelandic vocals, but don't be put off, this album is excellent and well worth seeking out. 9/10
Aeon Zen: Ephemera (Richard Hinks Music)
Aeon Zen are now on their fourth full length record and since their stunning debut they have gone from strength to strength, nothing is off limits to this band, they encompass many genres from rock and metal to jazz, folk and electronica. The band is the brainchild of Richard Hinks with all the songs written, arranged and produced by him, he also provides bass and vocals, on record he also contributes rhythm, additional lead guitars and keyboards on the records (while other musician's provide these roles live), he is aided in his kaleidoscope of noise by drummer Steve Burton and guitarist Alistair Bell. The band have also had a pick of vocalists on every album with the longest serving being Andi Kravljaca whose classic metal vocals suit the music well allowing Hinks to contribute to huge backing choirs and even the odd scream and grunt. I mention the massive influences this band has but they are at their heart a metal band which is shown by the frankly head crushingly heavy The Entity which has a Messugah style start stop riff, lots of electronics, but also some massive hooks coupled with a searing guitar and keyboard solo. It's a hell of a start to this album that shows off everything that makes this band great, the vocal interplay, the amazing musicianship and most importantly the supreme writing. Soul Machine starts out like a Symphony X/ Dream Theater song with a huge choral vocal, some mellifluous guitar and keys as well as a lot of orchestrations, the track slows in the middle with a post rock drone before the final part explodes into Behemoth style symphonic black metal replete with furious blast beats from Burton and synth solo finale. Life kicks off with a jazzy swing opening, which continues throughout making this one of the proggier tracks on the album and really showing off Hinks' bass work. Unite is a definite single being one of the shortest tracks on the album but distils everything the band is about in one song. This is the sound of a band that are at the top of their game, it is a wonderful time for British prog with Haken, Tesseract and of course Aeon Zen all showing that we do this kind of incredibly creative, emotive and frankly fantastic music better than anyone and Ephemera is a showcase of that! 10/10
P.S: I urge you to check out Aeon Zen start with Ephemera and then work your way through their back catalogue. You will not be disappointed!
Empress AD: Still Life Moving Fast (Roadrunner)
Empress AD are one of the new breed of aggressive, intelligent and frankly mesmerising progressive metal. Channelling bands like Mastodon, Baroness and Tesseract but also adding a lot of old school prog into the mix. Empress AD have a real groove vibe that sits somewhere between Mastodon and Opeth on Invisible Conductor which opens the album and kicks things of in aggressive style. There's fuzz driven bass, melodic guitar lines, screams and also clean vocals from Ollie Loring, there's even a drum solo from Edd Unwin in the middle of the track. The change into Delve Into The Retrospect is jarring as the song starts off with and almost King Crimson like vibe, but when the guitars come in the band dive straight into Akerfeldt territory with the fractured guitar lines and wistful quiet phases. Into the modern prog of Deeper In Disguise which starts off on fire and then goes into middle eight that sounds like a heavy metal Muse. These four men are amazing musicians they play with immense technicality or fluidity that are at their most evident on the more ambient, melodic tracks such as From Where I Cannot Reach. The song writing is in the upper echelon and the band unlike many carrying the tag are truly progressive, Urwin's drums are intensely percussive and clearly jazz influenced, Alex Loring's bass is the anchor leading the time changes, and Tom Meadon and Ollie Loring's guitars work wonders flowing between melodic noddling and heavy distorted metal battering. Back to worship at the altar of Mikael for On My Return with it's driving, grinding almost oriental riff and light and shade work building into a cacophony of noise. This album is one that is rare, it is equally full of immediacy but also many of the songs need repeated listens to develop. Usually I know what a Roadrunner album will sound like; I was presently surprised when I heard this, it was a very refreshing experince to hear a band of this talent unafraid to compromise. The album ends with Did We See which slows the pace and Consumed which does just that with its exercise in loud/quiet dynamics and euphoric finale. Still Life Moving Fast is a must for those reared on Mastodon, Neurosis and indeed Opeth, but it will also appeal to those from the background of King Crimson and Pink Floyd. An utter triumph!! 10/10
Monday, 15 September 2014
Reviews: Striker, Crimson Shadows, Lonely Kamel, Steak
Napalm records have gone mad this month and released a lot of albums at the same time so here's four I fancied:
Striker: City Of Gold (Napalm Records)
Canada have a bustling traditional metal scene at the moment with so many good bands keeping the makers of high tops and bullet belts in work. City Of Gold is Striker's third album and I will admit I had heard of them but never listened to them, I thought I'd give them a go as I like bands such as Enforcer, Cauldron, Axxion etc. This album could just have a one word review of WOW! This album is amazing, it encompasses everything you need in traditional metal guitars of Chris Segger and Timothy Brown that scream (for vengeance of course), Adam Brown's drums that plough through all opposition, Wild Bill's galloping bass work see the intro to Mind Control and the frankly awe inspiring vocals of Dan Cleary he is part Dickinson part Eric Adams and can has a stratospheric range, there are 15 tracks to this album and none of them them feel forced or out of place from the Municipal Waste style thrash of Second Attack, the speed metal assault of Underground, the 80's sleaze of Bad Decision and the epic Maidenesque quality of All I Want and the title track; all have some amazing guitar work with solos and riffs galore running throughout as well as the phenomenal vocals. Every song attacks straight out of the blocks, with a mix of old school metal with a modern sheen, hell they even do a good cover of Two Minutes To Midnight (although that does as always drop them a point) still this album is frankly awesome, now excuse me while I buy everything they have released! 9/10
Crimson Shadows: Kings Among Men (Napalm Records)
Crimson Shadows are also from Canada and they play a brand of death metal that is reminiscent of Amon Amarth but also very similar to Dragonforce in delivery so cue speedy power metal guitars, blast beat drums, growled/screamed/clean vocal harmonies. As soon as Rise To Power kicks off you can hear that epic melodic element kick you right in the face with the percussive, rhythm assault kicking things off at a violent pace, before the dual guitar attack rips you a new one, probably the best song on the album is the second track Heroes Among Us mainly because it features a lot of powerful clean vocals that merge well with the death vocals in the background. This is possibly one of the bands downfalls, if they just had the clean vocals then I think I would enjoy the band more but the death vocals ruin it a bit for me, the detract a little and take away a lot of the impact from the extreme power metal delivery of the rest of the music. Still if you like your power metal with a bit of grunting and screaming then you could do much worse than Crimson Shadows; they will appeal to fans of Sonata Arctica, Dragonforce as well as Amon Amarth and Children Of Bodom, As I said the music is good as are the clean vocals its just for me the addition of death vocals that puts me off a bit, still a great album if the vocals appeal. 7/10
Lonely Kamel: Shit City (Napalm Records)
So yes it is a pretty awful name for an album but that aside Lonely Kamel have got quite a neat album of blues based rock with stoner influences. Sounding as if they come from swamps of America, Lonely Kamel are actually Norwegian but you wouldn't notice unless you knew. The band merge big meaty, sludge riffs, with a fuzzy bass, crashing drums and a whiskey soaked blues howl all of these coming together to drive these nine tracks, the band do have stoner influences but they are more a of a blues rock band than anything else. The title track kicks things off with a snotty punk vibe, while White Lines has a trippy stoner vibe to it that invites you to enjoy the ride and Is It Over? is a bass heavy, bluesfest with lots smoke and haze. Lonely Kamel channel Blue Cheer, Leaf Hound, Vanilla Fudge as well as a dash of Hendrix and smidgen of Sabbath (on the closing Nightjar) The bands sound is rooted deep in their psychedelic blues based delivery. Shit City is their fourth album and it doesn't reinvent the wheel but it does do is continue on the path Lonely Kamel have ploughed their career, they deliver this stuff so well but if you are looking for deviation you will be sorely disappointed because when you hear the slow, heavy dirge of Seal The Perimeter replete with Ozzy style vocoder, you know that this is a band that stay true to their vision and keep the music of their heroes alive. If like your rock with a nod to the blues, drenched in reverb and fuelled by plant based narcotics then Lonely Kamel may be for you, go check out the bloozy Falling Down to see if you can get a handle on the Kamel!! 7/10
Steak: Slab City (Napalm Records)
Before you listen to Steak you have to ask yourself a question...do you like Kyuss? If the answer is no then walk away, however if the answer is "Hell Yes!" then desert rockers Steak will be right up your street, the wurlitzer of Coma starts things off as the bass throb builds in the background leading up to the scratchy guitar intro, then the drums kick in and it all comes together in true desert rock style with a sludge riff rolling along while Kippa shouts on top. So far so stoner, with the mighty Kyuss being the main basis of their sound but genre legends Fu Manchu, Nebula, Karma To Burn and even Sleep all get nods from the distorted, fuzz driven guitars of Reece, the Olivieri style hypnotic basswork of Cam and the free-form drumming of Sammy. The fuzz continues on Liquid Gold which is cut from the Orange Goblin sound of Sabbath worshipping, Pisser is guaranteed to get your head nodding with it's big, fat, brooding riff, which moves into the white noise interlude brings the almost Monster Magnet sounding Roadhead into life. These Londoners have appeared at fests all over the world the most notable being Desertfest in 2013 where they were on the same bill as Pentegram, Dozer etc. As a debut Slab City is a strong one full of the fuzzy, stoner rock of those bands from the American desert. If you don't like stoner rock, then you will not like this, however if you want a blissed out, riff worshipping rock album you will be unlikely to find one as good as this 8/10
Striker: City Of Gold (Napalm Records)
Canada have a bustling traditional metal scene at the moment with so many good bands keeping the makers of high tops and bullet belts in work. City Of Gold is Striker's third album and I will admit I had heard of them but never listened to them, I thought I'd give them a go as I like bands such as Enforcer, Cauldron, Axxion etc. This album could just have a one word review of WOW! This album is amazing, it encompasses everything you need in traditional metal guitars of Chris Segger and Timothy Brown that scream (for vengeance of course), Adam Brown's drums that plough through all opposition, Wild Bill's galloping bass work see the intro to Mind Control and the frankly awe inspiring vocals of Dan Cleary he is part Dickinson part Eric Adams and can has a stratospheric range, there are 15 tracks to this album and none of them them feel forced or out of place from the Municipal Waste style thrash of Second Attack, the speed metal assault of Underground, the 80's sleaze of Bad Decision and the epic Maidenesque quality of All I Want and the title track; all have some amazing guitar work with solos and riffs galore running throughout as well as the phenomenal vocals. Every song attacks straight out of the blocks, with a mix of old school metal with a modern sheen, hell they even do a good cover of Two Minutes To Midnight (although that does as always drop them a point) still this album is frankly awesome, now excuse me while I buy everything they have released! 9/10
Crimson Shadows: Kings Among Men (Napalm Records)
Crimson Shadows are also from Canada and they play a brand of death metal that is reminiscent of Amon Amarth but also very similar to Dragonforce in delivery so cue speedy power metal guitars, blast beat drums, growled/screamed/clean vocal harmonies. As soon as Rise To Power kicks off you can hear that epic melodic element kick you right in the face with the percussive, rhythm assault kicking things off at a violent pace, before the dual guitar attack rips you a new one, probably the best song on the album is the second track Heroes Among Us mainly because it features a lot of powerful clean vocals that merge well with the death vocals in the background. This is possibly one of the bands downfalls, if they just had the clean vocals then I think I would enjoy the band more but the death vocals ruin it a bit for me, the detract a little and take away a lot of the impact from the extreme power metal delivery of the rest of the music. Still if you like your power metal with a bit of grunting and screaming then you could do much worse than Crimson Shadows; they will appeal to fans of Sonata Arctica, Dragonforce as well as Amon Amarth and Children Of Bodom, As I said the music is good as are the clean vocals its just for me the addition of death vocals that puts me off a bit, still a great album if the vocals appeal. 7/10
Lonely Kamel: Shit City (Napalm Records)
So yes it is a pretty awful name for an album but that aside Lonely Kamel have got quite a neat album of blues based rock with stoner influences. Sounding as if they come from swamps of America, Lonely Kamel are actually Norwegian but you wouldn't notice unless you knew. The band merge big meaty, sludge riffs, with a fuzzy bass, crashing drums and a whiskey soaked blues howl all of these coming together to drive these nine tracks, the band do have stoner influences but they are more a of a blues rock band than anything else. The title track kicks things off with a snotty punk vibe, while White Lines has a trippy stoner vibe to it that invites you to enjoy the ride and Is It Over? is a bass heavy, bluesfest with lots smoke and haze. Lonely Kamel channel Blue Cheer, Leaf Hound, Vanilla Fudge as well as a dash of Hendrix and smidgen of Sabbath (on the closing Nightjar) The bands sound is rooted deep in their psychedelic blues based delivery. Shit City is their fourth album and it doesn't reinvent the wheel but it does do is continue on the path Lonely Kamel have ploughed their career, they deliver this stuff so well but if you are looking for deviation you will be sorely disappointed because when you hear the slow, heavy dirge of Seal The Perimeter replete with Ozzy style vocoder, you know that this is a band that stay true to their vision and keep the music of their heroes alive. If like your rock with a nod to the blues, drenched in reverb and fuelled by plant based narcotics then Lonely Kamel may be for you, go check out the bloozy Falling Down to see if you can get a handle on the Kamel!! 7/10
Steak: Slab City (Napalm Records)
Before you listen to Steak you have to ask yourself a question...do you like Kyuss? If the answer is no then walk away, however if the answer is "Hell Yes!" then desert rockers Steak will be right up your street, the wurlitzer of Coma starts things off as the bass throb builds in the background leading up to the scratchy guitar intro, then the drums kick in and it all comes together in true desert rock style with a sludge riff rolling along while Kippa shouts on top. So far so stoner, with the mighty Kyuss being the main basis of their sound but genre legends Fu Manchu, Nebula, Karma To Burn and even Sleep all get nods from the distorted, fuzz driven guitars of Reece, the Olivieri style hypnotic basswork of Cam and the free-form drumming of Sammy. The fuzz continues on Liquid Gold which is cut from the Orange Goblin sound of Sabbath worshipping, Pisser is guaranteed to get your head nodding with it's big, fat, brooding riff, which moves into the white noise interlude brings the almost Monster Magnet sounding Roadhead into life. These Londoners have appeared at fests all over the world the most notable being Desertfest in 2013 where they were on the same bill as Pentegram, Dozer etc. As a debut Slab City is a strong one full of the fuzzy, stoner rock of those bands from the American desert. If you don't like stoner rock, then you will not like this, however if you want a blissed out, riff worshipping rock album you will be unlikely to find one as good as this 8/10
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Reviews: Royal Blood, Death Penalty, The Scintilla Project
Royal Blood: S/T (Warner Bros)
The Royal Blood seem to be a kind of phenomenon at the moment arriving from almost nowhere and ascending the charts to land a number one album. As you work through the album you can see why this has happened as the band combine big rock riffs with a commercial sheen. They come from the old school sounding garage rock in the style of The White Stripes and the Black Keys, in fact when I first heard Figure It Out I thought it was Jack White himself. However where they differ from both these bands as they feature just a drummer and bassist, Ben Thatcher the skin smasher and Mike Kerr the string plucker as well as providing the blues howls. Despite just being two men and just being what can be considered as backing instruments they sound like a full band with Kerr's bass truly a lead instrument even having some solos and lead breaks on some tracks, the aforementioned Figure It Out being one that stands out. Yes this is simple yet effective, meat and two veg rock with a stripped back live-in-the-studio feel to every song, the band have purposefully eschewed overdubbing to make the album sound as live as possible and it works with the album having an authentic hard rock sound throughout. As I've said the band have a garage/blues rock style and with tracks like Blood hands having the bluesy delivery, before Little Monster rocks everything up again, the style varies a little on Ten Tonne Skeleton but for the most part this album is chart bothering rock at it's finest. An album that lives up to the hype and is another punch to those that declare rock dead (yes you Mr Simmons). 8/10
Death Penalty: S/T (Rise Above Records)
After the demise of Britain's premier doom metal band Cathedral many wondered what the band members would do next, well guitarist Gaz Jennings has plunged back into music with this heavy/doom rock band named after Witchfinder General's first album. The riffs of his old band are still there with Jennings slick, thick, sludgy guitar tone present on all of the songs however unlike his previous band everything is a lot more pacey with most of the songs coming thick and fast with all the hall marks Jennings gave to Cathedral but as I've said at a more rapid pace than means Death Penalty straddle the border of Doom metal and traditional heavy metal, due to the faster songs, long guitar solo passages and most notably Belgian Michelle Nocon's fantastic vocals, she has a real rock and roll voice that lends the band a sound similar to a female fronted Grand Magus. Which is far away from Lee Dorrian's evil vocals in Cathedral. She wails like a banshee and croons like Bruce on Eyes Of The Heretic, which has a Maiden-like gallop throughout driven by Raf Meukens' bass and Fredrik Cosemans' drums which lead the key change into the solo section, the doom legacy is still there though with the head banging heaviness of Golden Tides which has big distorted guitar riff. The band are unafraid to mix up the sound though as Into The Ivory Forest is very progressive in style before things get dark and gloomy again on Children Of The Night and the occult trappings of She's A Witch. This album rocks hard its the perfect match of old school doom and traditional heavy metal which means that it will have broad appeal for all fans of heavy metal. As they say as one door closes another opens so even though Cathedral are no more Death Penalty are nowhere near the last rites for Jennings creativity. 9/10
The Scintilla Project: The Hybrid (UDR Records)
Scintilla is a British (straight to DVD) Sci-Fi/horror film based around a secret communist genetics programme deep underground called The Scintilla Project, now as a tie in to the film a band also called The Scintilla Project has been formed. It is the brain child of drummer Lionel Hicks (Balance Of Power) who was introduced to Saxon's Biff Byford by Toby Jepson the producer of Saxon's Call To Arms album. Now this is where it gets complicated, Saxon wrote a song for the film but this one song stretched into an entirly new group, most of the music was written by bassist Anthony Ritchie (also Balance Of Power), with Hicks contributing, the men found a couple of session guitarists to create the songs with but the real breakthrough came when Byford agreed to sing on the album, he brought with him HELL guitarist/producer extraordinaire Andy Sneap who contributes guitar and co produced the album with Byford. So with all that out of the way what does it sound like? Well think a more symphonic metal version of Saxon and you won't be far off, the songs have great dual guitars, a huge drums sound, a rumbling bass and some massive keys and synths. As the jangling synths of John K start off the opening track Scintilla (One Black Heart) it speeds through with some power metal riffs, a huge hooky chorus, showing that Byford, much like on the most recent Saxon albums, is in the best vocal form in his life! The ominous Beware The Children has a Queensryche feel to it which extends through Permanence which also has the theatricality of Kamelot et al, the piano driven Some Nightmare is a ballad with an almost AOR guitar solo in the middle. Yes this album is very, very good indeed, a hell of a soundtrack that is definitely the sum of it's parts, the addition of Byford and indeed Sneap is inspired as they put their stamp all over this record raising it from relative obscurity to having many sit up and take notice. I don't know how good the film is, but this album is very good indeed! 9/10
The Royal Blood seem to be a kind of phenomenon at the moment arriving from almost nowhere and ascending the charts to land a number one album. As you work through the album you can see why this has happened as the band combine big rock riffs with a commercial sheen. They come from the old school sounding garage rock in the style of The White Stripes and the Black Keys, in fact when I first heard Figure It Out I thought it was Jack White himself. However where they differ from both these bands as they feature just a drummer and bassist, Ben Thatcher the skin smasher and Mike Kerr the string plucker as well as providing the blues howls. Despite just being two men and just being what can be considered as backing instruments they sound like a full band with Kerr's bass truly a lead instrument even having some solos and lead breaks on some tracks, the aforementioned Figure It Out being one that stands out. Yes this is simple yet effective, meat and two veg rock with a stripped back live-in-the-studio feel to every song, the band have purposefully eschewed overdubbing to make the album sound as live as possible and it works with the album having an authentic hard rock sound throughout. As I've said the band have a garage/blues rock style and with tracks like Blood hands having the bluesy delivery, before Little Monster rocks everything up again, the style varies a little on Ten Tonne Skeleton but for the most part this album is chart bothering rock at it's finest. An album that lives up to the hype and is another punch to those that declare rock dead (yes you Mr Simmons). 8/10
Death Penalty: S/T (Rise Above Records)
After the demise of Britain's premier doom metal band Cathedral many wondered what the band members would do next, well guitarist Gaz Jennings has plunged back into music with this heavy/doom rock band named after Witchfinder General's first album. The riffs of his old band are still there with Jennings slick, thick, sludgy guitar tone present on all of the songs however unlike his previous band everything is a lot more pacey with most of the songs coming thick and fast with all the hall marks Jennings gave to Cathedral but as I've said at a more rapid pace than means Death Penalty straddle the border of Doom metal and traditional heavy metal, due to the faster songs, long guitar solo passages and most notably Belgian Michelle Nocon's fantastic vocals, she has a real rock and roll voice that lends the band a sound similar to a female fronted Grand Magus. Which is far away from Lee Dorrian's evil vocals in Cathedral. She wails like a banshee and croons like Bruce on Eyes Of The Heretic, which has a Maiden-like gallop throughout driven by Raf Meukens' bass and Fredrik Cosemans' drums which lead the key change into the solo section, the doom legacy is still there though with the head banging heaviness of Golden Tides which has big distorted guitar riff. The band are unafraid to mix up the sound though as Into The Ivory Forest is very progressive in style before things get dark and gloomy again on Children Of The Night and the occult trappings of She's A Witch. This album rocks hard its the perfect match of old school doom and traditional heavy metal which means that it will have broad appeal for all fans of heavy metal. As they say as one door closes another opens so even though Cathedral are no more Death Penalty are nowhere near the last rites for Jennings creativity. 9/10
The Scintilla Project: The Hybrid (UDR Records)
Scintilla is a British (straight to DVD) Sci-Fi/horror film based around a secret communist genetics programme deep underground called The Scintilla Project, now as a tie in to the film a band also called The Scintilla Project has been formed. It is the brain child of drummer Lionel Hicks (Balance Of Power) who was introduced to Saxon's Biff Byford by Toby Jepson the producer of Saxon's Call To Arms album. Now this is where it gets complicated, Saxon wrote a song for the film but this one song stretched into an entirly new group, most of the music was written by bassist Anthony Ritchie (also Balance Of Power), with Hicks contributing, the men found a couple of session guitarists to create the songs with but the real breakthrough came when Byford agreed to sing on the album, he brought with him HELL guitarist/producer extraordinaire Andy Sneap who contributes guitar and co produced the album with Byford. So with all that out of the way what does it sound like? Well think a more symphonic metal version of Saxon and you won't be far off, the songs have great dual guitars, a huge drums sound, a rumbling bass and some massive keys and synths. As the jangling synths of John K start off the opening track Scintilla (One Black Heart) it speeds through with some power metal riffs, a huge hooky chorus, showing that Byford, much like on the most recent Saxon albums, is in the best vocal form in his life! The ominous Beware The Children has a Queensryche feel to it which extends through Permanence which also has the theatricality of Kamelot et al, the piano driven Some Nightmare is a ballad with an almost AOR guitar solo in the middle. Yes this album is very, very good indeed, a hell of a soundtrack that is definitely the sum of it's parts, the addition of Byford and indeed Sneap is inspired as they put their stamp all over this record raising it from relative obscurity to having many sit up and take notice. I don't know how good the film is, but this album is very good indeed! 9/10
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